Bengaluru, Sep 18 (Bureau) A fresh FIR has been lodged by Lokayukta police against BJP’s Parliamentary Board member BS Yediyurappa and his son and State BJP Vice President BY Vijayndra and three other members of his family for awarding a Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) contract when the party strongman was chief minister. This is the first FIR against Yediyurappa on the alleged corruption that pertains to his 2019-21 tenure. This is also the first FIR against Vijayendra who has been building his image as a good organisational leader. The issue came into the public domain after a a private channel aired a sting operation in 2020.
The FIR states that the then BDA Commissioner GC Prakash, who is also an accused in the case, had demanded a graft of Rs 12 crore on Yediyurappa’s behalf for Rs 666.22 crore BDA group housing contract from Chandrakanth Ramalingam, who had allegedly got the contract at the insistence of Cooperation Minister ST Somashekhar, who was also BDA Chairman.Ramalingam allegedly paid Rs 12 crore to Dr Prakash, but a conversation in which he is heard saying the money had not reached Vijayendra had been aired on television.The FIR also mentions the alleged WhatsApp conversations between Yediyurappa’s grandson Shashidhar Maradi and Ramalingam about payment of another Rs 12.5 crore as bribe. Social activist TJ Abraham is the complainant in the case. The Lokayukta police filed a FIR, against nine individuals named in the private complaint, on Friday.